Decision

Castle Point Borough Council (22UE) - Regulatory Judgement: 29 April 2026

Updated 29 April 2026

Applies to England

Our Judgement

	Grade/Judgement	Change	Date of assessment
Consumer	C3 Our judgement is that there are serious failings in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and significant improvement is needed.	Upgrade	April 2026

Reason for publication

We are publishing a regulatory judgement for Castle Point Borough Council (Castle Point BC) to confirm a consumer upgrade to C3 following responsive engagement.

Prior to this regulatory judgement, the consumer grade for Castle Point BC was last updated in December 2024 following an inspection, to confirm a C4 grade.

Summary of the decision

At the time of our previous judgement in December 2024, we concluded there were very serious failings in Castle Point BC’s delivery of the outcomes of the consumer standards that required fundamental changes so that improved outcomes are delivered, specifically in relation to outcomes in our Safety and Quality Standard and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.

From the evidence and assurance gained during our responsive engagement, we have upgraded our assessment of Castle Point BC from a C4 to a C3 grade. Castle Point BC is making progress in addressing the very serious failings identified through our inspection in December 2024, but we have concluded that there remain serious failings in how Castle Point BC is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and significant improvement is still needed, specifically in relation to outcomes in our Tenancy Standard and Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a C3 grade for Castle Point BC.

How we reached our judgement

We published a C4 regulatory judgement for Castle Point BC in December 2024 following an inspection to assess how well it was delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards, as part of our planned regulatory inspection programme. During the inspection we considered all four of the consumer standards: Neighbourhood and Community Standard, Safety and Quality Standard, Tenancy Standard and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.

During the inspection we observed a cabinet meeting and a meeting between the council and its repairs and maintenance managing agent, South Essex Homes. We met with officers and elected members including the leader and deputy leader of the council, and the portfolio holder for housing. We also reviewed all the documents provided by Castle Point BC.

From the evidence-based assurance gained during the inspection, it was our judgement that there were very serious failings in Castle Point BC delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and it must make fundamental changes so that improved outcomes are delivered, specifically in relation to outcomes against the Safety and Quality Standard and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.

Following the inspection, we engaged with Castle Point BC as it carried out improvements to address the very serious failings which led to the C4 grade.

This responsive engagement focused on Castle Point BC’s delivery of an improvement strategy to address the failings identified and included reviewing documents, and discussions with Castle Point BC. We also considered information supplied by Castle Point BC in its regulatory returns and other regulatory engagement activity. Our judgement is based on all of the relevant information we obtained during the responsive engagement process and the previous inspection, as well as analysis of information supplied by Castle Point BC in its regulatory returns and other regulatory engagement activity.

Summary of findings  

Consumer – C3 – April 2026

Since the inspection that concluded in December 2024, we have been intensively engaging with Castle Point BC to ensure it delivers fundamental changes to improve outcomes for tenants. Castle Point BC has made improvements, particularly in relation to the Safety and Quality Standard, however, there remain serious failings in its delivery of the outcomes of the consumer standards, particularly in relation to the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard and the Tenancy Standard.

Through our intensive engagement, Castle Point BC has provided evidence of its ability to put matters right. However, it needs to ensure that the changes made to its housing service are fully embedded and operating effectively. This includes securing and sustaining the appropriate skills and expertise within the service to consistently deliver the outcomes of the consumer standards and ensuring that councillors and senior leaders maintain effective oversight. It also relies on continuing to implement new systems to manage and use data to effectively deliver its services.

The Safety and Quality Standard requires landlords to have an accurate, up-to-date and evidenced understanding of the condition of their homes at an individual property level based on a physical assessment of all homes. In addition, landlords should ensure that homes meet the requirements of the Decent Homes Standard. Castle Point BC has implemented a survey programme to improve its understanding of the condition of its homes. The programme is 82% complete and Castle Point BC has plans to ensure that all remaining homes are surveyed. The survey has provided evidence that around 10% of its homes are non-decent and Castle Point BC intends that all of its homes will meet the requirements of the Decent Homes Standard by March 2028. We will seek evidence that Castle Point addresses the non-decency in its homes through our continued intensive engagement.

Castle Point has addressed the very serious failings in its delivery of health and safety assessments. It has provided assurance that it is taking reasonable steps to comply with legal health and safety requirements in line with the Safety and Quality Standard. Castle Point BC has implemented processes to manage and deliver remedial actions. It has a programme to address overdue water safety checks and a small number of overdue fire remedial actions. Castle Point BC has provided evidence that it has implemented interim mitigation measures to manage risks to the safety of tenants in these homes until the works are completed. Castle Point BC has plans to strengthen its approach to health and safety through the development of a risk-based approach informed by the information it is gathering about its tenants and its homes, alongside improvements to reporting.  

Castle Point BC brought the management of the safety and condition of its homes in house in April 2025, when it ended previous arrangements with its managing agent. It has since implemented performance monitoring of its contracts to hold its contractors to account. Castle Point BC has evidenced that it acts on the performance of its repairs service, and we will look for evidence that this continues as it changes its repairs contractor in April 2026. Castle Point BC has improved the effectiveness, efficiency and timeliness of its repairs, maintenance and planned improvement service. We have seen evidence that it is learning from complaints raised by tenants in relation to repairs and is taking steps to improve its processes.

The Neighbourhood and Community Standard requires landlords to work in partnership with appropriate local authority departments, the police and other relevant organisations to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour and hate incidents in the neighbourhoods where they provide social housing. Castle Point BC has revised its approach to anti-social behaviour and hate incidents, including undertaking a pilot programme during 2026 to work with relevant organisations to support the needs of individual tenants. Castle Point BC is not yet able to evidence that these changes are embedded and that outcomes for tenants have improved. We will seek evidence of this through our continued engagement with Castle Point BC.

Castle Point BC has recently developed a domestic abuse policy. It now needs to evidence that it can recognise and respond effectively to cases of domestic abuse, work co-operatively with relevant agencies, and enable tenants to access appropriate support and advice in accordance with its policy.

Castle Point BC also needs to address serious failings in its delivery of outcomes in the Tenancy Standard. The Tenancy Standard requires landlords to allocate and let their homes in a fair and transparent way that takes the needs of tenants and prospective tenants into account. As Castle Point BC implemented its tenancy management policy it found that its allocations and lettings process was not operating effectively, impacting outcomes for tenants and prospective tenants. Castle Point BC is now taking steps to address these failings and improve oversight of arrangements. We will continue to engage intensively with Castle Point BC as it addresses these failings.

The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard sets out the outcomes that landlords must deliver to ensure they are open with tenants and treat tenants with fairness and respect, so that tenants can access services, raise complaints, influence decision making and hold their landlord to account.

Castle Point BC does not have a comprehensive understanding of tenants’ diverse needs, and so cannot robustly assess whether service outcomes for tenants are fair and equitable. This also limits Castle Point BC’s ability to demonstrate that relevant information about landlord services and performance is accessible so that all tenants understand what to expect from their landlord and can hold it to account. Castle Point BC has plans in place to improve the quality of tenant information and we will monitor continued progress through our ongoing engagement.

Castle Point BC has developed a strategy and structure to facilitate its engagement with tenants and has implemented a range of ways for tenants to share their views about the housing service. Castle Point BC has taken steps to improve the range of relevant and accessible information that is available to tenants about its performance and the landlord services tenants can expect. In addition, Castle Point BC is collecting Tenant Satisfaction Measures in line with the technical and survey requirements. Castle Point BC intends to build on these changes to allow its tenants to scrutinise landlord services and hold it to account. Castle Point BC recognises that the work it has done to date is only the first step in its activity to meaningfully engage with its tenants, demonstrate that it treats its tenants with fairness and respect and listens to their views. We will continue to intensively engage with Castle Point BC as it delivers its planned improvements.

Castle Point BC has developed a comprehensive improvement plan that has driven significant change across its housing service. The changes required have been fundamental and to date have prioritised the risks to tenants’ safety. We recognise the positive steps that Castle Point BC has taken to date. Castle Point BC continues to constructively engage with us, understands the issues it needs to address and is taking action to address the failings identified.

We will continue to intensively engage with Castle Point BC as it delivers its improvement plan to address the serious failings and weaknesses that remain. Through our engagement we will seek assurance that Castle Point BC is making sufficient change and progress, including ongoing monitoring of its improvement action plans.

Background to the judgement

About the landlord

Castle Point BC owns and manages around 1,500 social housing homes in Essex. The majority of homes are general needs with some sheltered housing.

Our role and regulatory approach

We regulate for a viable, efficient, and well governed social housing sector able to deliver quality homes and services for current and future tenants.  

We regulate at the landlord level to drive improvement in how landlords operate. By landlord we mean a registered provider of social housing. These can either be local authorities, or private registered providers (other organisations registered with us such as non-profit housing associations, co-operatives, or profit-making organisations). 

We set standards which state outcomes that landlords must deliver. The outcomes of our standards include both the required outcomes and specific expectations we set. Where we find there are significant failures in landlords which we consider to be material to the landlord’s delivery of those outcomes, we hold them to account. Ultimately this provides protection for tenants’ homes and services and achieves better outcomes for current and future tenants. It also contributes to a sustainable sector which can attract strong investment. 

We have a different role for regulating local authorities than for other landlords. This is because we have a narrower role for local authorities and the Governance and Financial Viability Standard, and Value for Money Standard do not apply. Further detail on which standards apply to different landlords can be found on our standards page. 

We assess the performance of landlords through inspections and by reviewing data that landlords are required to submit to us. We also respond where there is an issue or a potential issue that may be material to a landlord’s delivery of the outcomes of our standards. We publish regulatory judgements that describe our view of landlords’ performance with our standards. We also publish grades for landlords with more than 1,000 social housing homes. 

The Housing Ombudsman deals with individual complaints. When individual complaints are referred to us, we investigate if we consider that the issue may be material to a landlord’s delivery of the outcomes of our standards.  

For more information about our approach to regulation, please see Regulating the standards.

Further information

• Regulating the standards

• Regulatory standards for landlords

• Tenant Satisfaction Measures